'Room filled with saris, suits & cheques': I-T dept raids KGF Babu

With assets of Rs 1,621 cr, suspended Cong leader accused of 'luring' voters

KGF Babu

Authorities seized thousands of saris, suits and cheques from the residence of suspended Congress leader Yousuf Shariff alias KGF Babu following a day-long search operation on Wednesday, an official said.

Officials from the income tax and other departments reached Ruksana Palace, Babu's residence in Kaverappa Layout, Millers Tank Bund Road, Vasanthnagar, around 5.30 am.

Their aim was to investigate suspected tax evasion by Babu, a KGF native who made a fortune selling railway scrap in Bengaluru.

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Babu has filed an appeal against the demand for Rs 13.43 crore in income-tax dues.

The operation, however, took a different turn when officials discovered thousands of saris, shirts and trousers stacked up in a room. They also found thousands of cheques, each worth Rs 1,105.

Babu unsuccessfully tried for the Congress ticket to contest the assembly election from Chickpet. His wife, Shaziya Tarannum, entered the fray as an independent for the May 10 Karnataka assembly elections.

Suspecting that the goods were meant for distribution as "election freebies", income-tax sleuths intimated the flying squad posted on poll duty.

Bengaluru Regional Commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas, BBMP Special Commissioner (Administration) Harish Kumar K and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) R Srinivas Gowda reached the scene of the action.

Biswas said they found "contraband meant for bribing voters". "We are still counting it. It's quite a large number. There was a room full of boxes containing saris, pants and shirts," he told DH. "There were also some cheques."

Biswas added: "We came here to ensure everything goes smoothly and nobody slips up." The premises owner would be booked for bribing voters, he said.

Babu will also likely face a separate investigation from the income-tax department.

For several months in the run-up to the elections, Babu has engaged in what he describes as social service, distributing cash, cheques and household essentials among Chickpet residents. He has also pledged to gift spacious flats to slum dwellers.

In her affidavit with the Election Commission of India on April 13, Tarannum declared that she was a housewife with zero income but owned movable assets worth Rs 40.59 lakh.

On the other hand, Babu earned Rs 46 crore in the last financial year. He declared Rs 1,538 crore in immovable assets and Rs 83 crore in movable assets. His movable assets include a Rolls-Royce purchased for Rs 2 crore in 2017. He declared liabilities of Rs 63 crore.

Last year, Babu and his wife were questioned in a money-laundering case registered with the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

In December 2021, Babu lost the MLC election on a Congress ticket. At the time, he declared assets worth Rs 1,743 crore.

Neither Babu nor Tarannum could be reached for comment.